Finding the right retail point of sale (POS) system isn’t always easy. With countless pos solutions available from just as many vendors, knowing how to find the right POS software requires a fair amount of research. While this may seem like an effort, the benefits of finding the right POS system always make it worthwhile.
With the best point of sale system in place a business’s vital data is streamlined into one handy system. You can then use this data to better manage the business and its processes, including sales, inventory management, and customer and employee management.
However, it’s important to avoid common mistakes when buying a retail POS system, otherwise it may end wasting you time, money, and other valuable resources. Avoid these common mistakes to ensure you get the best retail POS system!
Not Knowing What You Need
Never make the mistake of buying retail software without establishing why you need it and what you want from it. It’s easy to forget that there are a variety of functions and features available from POS software, any of which may provide solutions to your needs, so always take the time to determine what you require from a system.
For example, do you require a robust inventory management system to better handle your inventory? Do you want more sales data to help manage future processes? Could you benefit from introducing customer or employee management systems?
Always determine what you need from the software before buying it!
Focusing Just on Price
Given the cost of software and possible costs for POS hardware equipment, it’s easy to focus entirely on the price of the POS system. However, this is often a mistake, as focusing too much on price often leads to over or under-spending on the software.
Instead of focusing primarily on the cost of the POS software and POS hardware, consider what features you need most and then look for products that provide appropriate solutions.
Buying Hardware Before Software
It’s a common misconception that new retail software requires new hardware. Modern POS software focuses on usability, with many products completely operational using mobile devices like a tablet.
This can greatly reduce the costs of buying new POS hardware to run the system, especially for SMBs that don’t require the same amount of hardware as a large retail store.
All POS software has specific requirements for operating platforms, including scanners, printers, cash drawers, card readers, receipt printers etc. Some can be integrated into current hardware while others need newer hardware, so know what the software needs first!
If you buy new POS hardware before buying the software, you may unintentionally limit your system capacities and waste a lot of money on unnecessary hardware.
Not Thinking About Training
The easier the point of sale software is to use the more efficient it becomes, so never make the mistake of cutting corners with software training.
Employees are the people operating the software the most, so you want them to be fully trained in all aspects of the system. Take the time to fully train employees in all aspects of the software, including sales process, inventory management, customer management, barcodes, etc.
However, if your business is in the market for a new retail pos system, you should deeply consider Vend. They are America’s leading point of sale system for retailers of all types and sizes. In fact, they have over 25,000 customers worldwide who love their pos software system and other retail management solutions. Give them a shot, you can try out their pos system free for 30-days too!
